Evolutionary study of Drosphilid flies

Drosophilid flies of various species are known to inhabit the flowers of different plant species in Hawaii, South America and Australia, feeding on microorganisms, courting and mating, with females inserting their eggs into the flower petals. The two Australian species recorded here have particular advantages for research in evolutionary genetics – their host plants occur in isolated populations spread over very broad geographical areas (that is, climatic and topographical variation).